As a teenager, I remember going to amusement parks with my friends in several cars and trying all get there without getting separated was always a challenge. Especially when one of us got caught at a red light or when we lost sight of one another because of too much traffic and other cars cutting in between us. I always wished of having a way to visually link our vehicles so that other drivers would realize we were traveling together.
We tried turning our hazard light on, but this was confusing and not obvious to other drivers. Many people have different notions of what it means when you have your hazard lights on. After all, they are called “hazard lights” for a reason.
My inspiration for creating a device that could visually link vehicles together came to me after observing a massive electric arc at a show in the Museum of Science in Boston, Mass. I left the presentation thinking, “Wouldn't it be nice if I could have an electric arc-like effect going from one car to another? And, that way make it clear to other drivers that the cars are traveling together and in turn receive the courtesy of having the spaces in between respected.”
I have also seen myself cutting through the middle of a funeral procession by mistake, because of not noticing the markings on the cars in the procession. Another encounter with this problem I am trying to solve with this invention was a few years ago when my wife and I were looking into buying a new home. It was challenging and at some points even dangerous to follow our realtor on the way to see properties she was taking us to see. It was dangerous because, with the extra distraction to try to not lose track of her vehicle or avoiding other vehicles from cutting in between us, you could become distracted enough to the point to be dangerous driving. And, it is just common practice to follow a realtor on the way to see the different properties. We did just that, as we used to meet our realtor at our first viewing and then follow her to the following properties.